Insta-Friday Summer Edition

What a fun, happy week!

The rest of my girls weekend was so perfect.

More movies, games, good food, girl talk and a hike.

Good for the soul.

These ladies are some of the strongest mothers/wives/women I know.

Good people to the core, and I am so blessed to have them as friends.

When I got home, we headed to Nana and Papa's to plant flowers and have dinner.

I love that the kids light up and squeal with excitement at the thought of spending time with their Nana and Papa.

We love Chick-Fil-A.

We go there a lot.

It's kinda ridiculous, but so fabulous at the same time.

They have good Dr. Pepper.

Not everywhere has the right syrup/carbonated water ratio.

But Chick-Fil-A doesn't disappoint.

I love looking at my flowers every time we come and go...

and watering/dead heading them everyday.

It's one of my favorite parts of the summer.

Fresh mint and basil.

Mmmmm.

Big plans for Caprese appetizers and dinners...

and fresh fruit salad and mojitos with mint.

Love water days in the back yard...

Reading on my old lady glider with the sound of the kids splashing and giggling in the background...icy drink in the cup holder.

So perfect.

I love ridiculous sun glasses.

And I love red and white gingham.

I think I need to own these.

Don't you?

There are so many happy things about this picture.

Fresh cut grass.

Bare feet.

Pink nail polish.

The seasonal flip flop tan.

I love summer.

This week I met up with a friend I haven't seen in awhile.

We caught up on life, good books, movies, and TV series for 4 hours over dinner and chocolate coconut cheesecake.

It was divine.

Every part of the evening was simply delightful.

Ab, Brody and I snuck in a trip to the library the other day while AJ was at school.

It's much more enjoyable to split the kids up to go to the library.

Otherwise it's like Bop The Mole.

Abby got the coolest Princess Primer book with lots of little envelopes that hold letters and cards to pull out and read.

It is written by a Fairy Godmother on how to be a princess.

Abby was in awe as we read the first letter.

She gasped and said, "So Fairy Godmothers DO exist!"

If I could just bottle up the wonder and excitement in her little voice.

This little guy is loving the warm weather and cool treats that come with it.

AJ had his Field Day on Friday.

He smiled the entire time.

It was a good day.

And now we are headed up to the mountains to spend the weekend with friends.

One is turning 40 while we are up there.

I was in charge of 40 of her fave drink.

That is one heavy Diet Coke cake.

Have a great holiday weekend.

What are you up to?

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Insta-Friday

Hi friends!

Whew. What a week.

Last Friday we went to a fun filled birthday party for a couple buddies.

The kids went nuts running from thing to thing, climbing and jumping.

It's so crazy to see Brody go from a baby to a little boy

right before our eyes.

He is such an amazing combination of his brother and sister.

Kind and sensitive like AJ, yet passionate and spirited like Abby.

These beauties are from our front yard. The only two that survived the Colorado battle between winter and spring. Such happy, bright colors.

We loaded up in the van last Saturday and headed to Home Depot.

Then we spent the day planting flowers and veggies and herbs and strawberries.

It was a good afternoon.

The kids each picked out and planted flowers to go around the front tree.

Then they searched for roly poly bugs and created little habitats for them. Poor little bugs.

That night we made s'mores around the fire pit.

AJ loves to help build a fire, Abby loves the chocolate, and we have to hide the bag of marshmallows from Brody.

It's always fun dodging Abby's flaming marshmallows and Brody's sticky hands.

AJ was so excited for Mother's Day this year. It was so cute to see how much thought and pride he put into making it a special day. He came into my room Sunday morning showing me the shirt he had been saving to wear all week. I love that he even thought out the little details like what shirt to wear.

He's my sensitive boy. So full of love and character.

Andy got me crazy daisies for Mother's Day.

Such a happy greeting every time I walk in the room.

Seriously, if you ever need a pick-me-up, get yourself some crazy daisies.

AJ made me all kinds of stuff including this picture.

His little drawings and writing warms my heart.

Abby gave me two sunflowers she planted from seed

and AJ made me a pinch pot.

After being spoiled by the kiddos gifts, we went to mass.

They did pretty good.

Andy made breakfast after church and we ate on the patio.

So delicious and refreshing.

I was spoiled with clothes and a new sundress that I wore to dinner.

We met Andy's parents, grandparents, aunts, and brother for a fancy dinner.

Abby ordered and ate duck.

I tried caviar for the first time.

Brody put his napkin on his head...

It was a good Mother's Day.

Random Latte pic.

Love that dog.

The cousins Face Timed.

So funny to see how they react to each other.

I saw this on Pinterest and was like what the heck I'll try it...because what else do you do with baby oil.

I love it! Never shaving my legs with soap or shaving cream again.

I love a boy in his footsie pj's with his blankies.

Melts my heart.

Good morning hugs.

Best part of the day ever.

Love that crinkle nose smile.

She adamantly requested a sideways, braided bun,

up front, with the rest of her hair down.

Where does she come up with this stuff?

We switched dentists for the kids this week after a pretty yucky, negative experience.

Long story short, Girlfriend needs oral surgery and I bawled in front of the dentist and his dental assistant. It was a rough couple of days, but the good thing is that she will now be getting the care she needs.

And I have a truly incredible support network of friends and family that have cheered me up and helped me see the positive in all of this.

After such an emotional roller coaster of a week, I was SO ready for my girls weekend in the mountains with good friends.

We watch movies, read, sit in the hot tub, talk, hike, play games...

And eat fabulous food like Nutella, strawberry, banana crepes with the most delicious homemade coconut syrup on this Earth.

Seriously, make it.

It will make all your problems go away.

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Fabric Portfolio By The Cottage Home

Hello friends!

Last night I debated going to bed or watching a movie at 8...

OR

making something fabulous for my MIL for Mother's Day.

I went with this easy to follow tutorial by The Cottage Home for a fabric portfolio and notebook holder, and am delighted with how it turned out!

I'm already plotting my next one!

 

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An Insta-Perspective

S'up?

This week flew by.

But it was such a beautiful week.

So full of happiness and blessings.

We rocked the MS Walk as a family last Saturday.

We walked in honor of a friend's amazing mother and my amazing sistah.

There is something so powerful about being a part of a large gathering of people all united for the same purpose.

For as much yucky sad stuff in the world, there is still more good out there.

And you can feel it walking among 9,000 other people for a common cause.

We were made to love.

And that purpose should guide us in all we do.

The kids' Small Wonders class had a Marian Crowning ceremony last Sunday.

So sweet to see all the kiddos with their flowers.

Even if AJ used his flower like a sword on the poor kid standing next to him.

He also graduated into the next level of classes and got his first mass book.

Religious Ed classes are over for the summer. That means all 3 kids will attend mass with us until classes resume in the fall. Lord have mercy.

We went to dinner with Andy's aunt and uncle that were visiting from Georgia last weekend. Their son was born a couple months after Brody. So fun to see cousins so close in age play together.

We got in some sidewalk chalk time before the rain this week. Love being outside, playing with the kids. There is something so uplifting having the sun on your face, breathing in fresh air, and seeing them be so excited to be outside.

Ab's letter this week was Qq, so I made a quick little quilt out of some scraps for her baby doll. She was over the moon.

And I think she has the letter Qq now.

Whatever it takes.

We have one more year before she goes to Kindergarten

and a lot of letters left to master.

She would much rather play or make art.

Heaven help us.

Pandora sent me back in time 18 years to my first concert.

1995.

I was 14.

My hair was long, permed, and dyed neon pink from Kool-Aid.

My bother, James, gifted me with my first concert ticket. Ted Nugent with Bad Company opening. It was an outdoor concert. It poured rain. We bought army green ponchos. Some hippies were smoking pot in front of us.

It's a vivid memory. I keep the ticket stub in a box James gave me with pictures of him, a letter and birthday card he sent me once, and his obituary.

It's a good memory.

Thank you Pandora for taking me back.

I drink my calories. And love every ounce.

I love an iced chai or cold Dr. Pepper or homemade lemonade on a spring or summer day...a hot tea or hot chocolate on a fall or winter day.

In this girl's world a good drink turns a good experience into a grand experience.

I had the honor of making some banners for a summer wedding this week.

I love them.

They are the essence of a fun, bright, refreshing summer celebration to me.

And that's how a wedding should be to me.

Fun. Bright. Refreshing. Celebration.

I got to go into Abby's classroom for an hour this week.

It was such a fun experience to get a glimpse into this part of her world.

She is a bubbly, spirited little girl that does everything with the passion of her whole heart.

Brody loves this white bear and his red blanket. And he loves to carry the things he loves with him everywhere he goes. Which is usually no big deal...

But he has developed an undying love for a toy vacuum as big as him.

Which means I'm carrying around a 20 month a old and a toy vacuum everywhere we go.

It makes me laugh and smile. He is a compassionate soul that becomes attached to things and people and loves to sweep and put things away.

Maybe I got a tidy one. A little OCD wouldn't hurt us.

Life is good.

Truly good.

 

 

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